David W. Golde

Born:October 23, 1940 |
New York, NY, US

Died:August 9, 2004 |
New York, NY, US

Golde's experience in clinical pathology at NIH steered him into hematologic research at UCSF in Martin J. Cline's laboratory. While at UCSF, Golde met several influential scientists who first sparked his interest in hormones. In 1974, Golde left UCSF for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he continues his affiliation today as Professor of Medicine, Emeritus. Throughout most of the 1970s, Golde's major field of research was in colony-stimulating factors.

The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.

Interview Details

Interview no.: Oral History
0189

No. of pages:
22

Minutes:
93

Interview Sessions

Audra J. Wolfe

15 December 1999

New York, New York

Abstract of Interview

David Golde begins the interview with a discussion of his early years and education in Bayonne, New Jersey. In high school, Golde developed an interest in medicine, which was stimulated by his biology teacher. He received his BS in chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1962. He then attended medical school at McGill University, graduating in 1966. After graduation, Golde completed his internship under the supervision of Dr. Holly (Lloyd) Smith at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Golde joined the faculty at UCSF after completing his residency at the National Institutes of Health. His experience in clinical pathology at NIH steered him into hematologic research at UCSF in Martin J. Cline's laboratory. While at UCSF, Golde met several influential scientists who first sparked his interest in hormones. In 1974, Golde left UCSF for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he continues his affiliation today as Professor of Medicine, Emeritus. Throughout most of the 1970s, Golde's major field of research was in colony-stimulating factors. Golde observed cell lines to determine which tissues make colony-stimulating factors. In his laboratory at UCLA, Golde developed a major cell line called KG-1 with H. Phillip Koeffler. The KG-1 cell line was later used to clone alpha interferon. Golde began studying hairy-cell leukemia, researching the cell origins for the disease. Studying cultures of the Mo cell line (named after John Moore, a hairy-cell leukemia patient), Golde's laboratory was the first to purify human GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor). With Robert Gallo he discovered a specific strain of retrovirus named HTLV-II, and with his postdoc, Irvin Chen, was the first to clone the HTLV-II virus. Golde concludes the interview with a discussion of the relationship between the biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industries, issues regarding federal transfer of information, and thoughts on his contributions to medicine.

Education

Year

Institution

Degree

Discipline

1962

Fairleigh Dickinson University

BS

Chemistry

1966

McGill University

MD

Professional Experience

University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco

1972 to 1973

Instructor in Medicine

1973 to 1974

Assistant Professor in Medicine

University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine

1974 to 1975

Assistant Professor of Medicine

1975 to 1979

Associate Professor of Medicine

1979 to 1991

Professor of Medicine

1991

Professor of Medicine Emeritus

Cornell University

1991

Professor of Medicine, Medical College

1992

Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences

Table of Contents

Early Years

1

Born in New York City. Growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey. Working as coffee chemist for Maxwell House. Attending medical school at McGill University. Residency at NIH. Important influences for choosing medical field. Holly (Lloyd) Smith. Internship at UCSF.

Early Career

3

Joining faculty at UCSF. Interest in hematology. John Beck. Working in Martin J. Cline's laboratory. Gordon Tompkins. C. H. Li. Leaving UCSF for UCLA. Importance of role models. Research interests in the 1970s. Setting up first normal bone marrow donation program. Theodore Finley.